OBJECTIVES: a. The overall objectives of this proposal are to isolate and characterize human globin genes and to attempt to determine the factors controlling their activity. The long-range goals of these studies is to provide approaches to the therapy of beta thalassemia and sickle cell anemia. b. The goals of the current year are to prepare complete or almost complete (full-length) separated alpha, beta and gamma cDNAs and to explore methods for the large scale isolation of human globin genes from total human DNA.